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Marijuana activist Charlo Greene, who famously quit her job as a reporter on live television last year during Alaska's push for legalization, joined Ganjapreneur for a discussion about the history of U.S. drug policies, legalization efforts across the nation, and how to encourage diversity in the cannabis industry.

Ganjapreneur recently touched base with marijuana activist Charlo Greene, who has been working to advance legalization efforts and protect medical marijuana patients in her home state of Alaska since she famously quit her job on live television last year.

Charlo has also been working to increase diversity in the legal cannabis industry, which, although it has received attention for the significant number of women entrepreneurs who have populated the space, has primarily been an industry populated by white people. Addressing several possible reasons for the disparity, she states that she believes the cannabis activist community and industry as a whole is ready and welcoming to cannabis entrepreneurs of color. “To be a true activist you have to know the cause you’re fighting for and its history," she explains. "All real cannabis activists know our drug policy is racist as [EXPLETIVE].” In the interview, Greene also encourages people of color to pursue business opportunities in legal cannabis, but warns of the "double-edged sword" of publicity.

To help promote a more inclusive and representative industry, Charlo founded GoGREENE.org, a nonprofit intended to encourage diversity via education, networking, and empowerment. GoGreene.org’s stated mission is to “cultivate diversity in cannabis advocacy and industry” through events that promote “education, networking, and empowerment.”

"We’re working to activate communities of color as we march toward the end of prohibition and to arm everyday citizens from all walks of life with the education and community backing they need to champion the movement in their areas," she says.

Ganjapreneur launched in July 2014 and has since established a significant presence in the cannabis business world. The website regularly publishes interviews and commentary from leading minds in the industry, and has also launched a B2B business directory, a live feed of job listings from marijuana job boards, a weekly podcast, a domain name marketplace for start-ups and venture capital firms, and a mobile app for Apple and Android devices which aggregates daily cannabis industry news, business profiles, and other information.